Google has announced that it has improved the originality reports in Google Classroom and Assignments to detect potential plagiarism in a better way. The feature has now become better in detecting potential plagiarism by alerting users when a document contains symbols from different alphabets or writing systems. For example, when a student replaces the letter “a” with some other symbol, such as “⍺” or “α,” to trick plagiarism detection technology, the new originality reports will alert educators. They can then review it and check whether the student had a legitimate reason to use such symbols, or was it just to trick plagiarism detection tools.
New Originality Reports Feature, Availability
Starting December 2, the new feature will be automatically available to educators when they’ve turned them for an assignment. Note that there is no admin control for this feature, and the students who use originality reports will also not see it. Further, the new improvements to originality reports in Google Classroom and Assignments will follow a gradual rollout. These are already being released to both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release domains starting on December 2. For all users to see this feature visible in originality reports, it may take up to 15 days.
It is also notable that this New Originality Reports feature is only available to G Suite for Education and Enterprise for Education customers, as well as standalone Classroom and Assignment users. It will not be available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus and Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus customers. Further, users with G Suite Basic, Business and Nonprofits customers will also not get this feature.
After announcing a new major update to Bixby recently that brings a new overhauled look, South Korean tech giant Samsung has now announced a new update for Samsung Internet as well on December 2, 2020. The new update brings major changes to the browsing experience along with cool new features.
The big highlight of the Samsung Internet 13.0 is Secret mode. This feature clears the browsing history as soon as the tabs are closed. Secret mode’s icon is present on the address bar that lets the user know when this feature is enabled.
Moreover, the new update also introduced a really good feature that tracks malicious websites. It then sends notifications to the user about the same.
Image Courtesy: Samsung
The new update brings a new browsing experience for good. The new High Contrast Mode when enabled with dark mode brings more life to the font and other components. This makes everything easier to read and access.
Not only that, users can also hide the status bar to get more screen for a seamless browsing experience.
Samsung Internet also introduces a gesture that enables pausing of the video by double-tapping in the middle of the screen.
The new update also brings the Expandable App Bar. This makes Bookmarks, Saved Pages, History, and downloads easier to access.
For convenience, one can also edit the title of bookmarks which makes them easier to recognize
For tech geeks, Application Programming Interface (API) modules are available. This further includes WebRequest, Proxy, Cookies, Types, History, Privacy, Notifications, Alarms, Permissions, Idle, and Management. The API will allow developers to add their extensions to the web browser by contacting the Samsung team.
The new update of Samsung Internet will soon be available on Galaxy Store and Google Play Store.
Google has announced a new setting for Google Workspace admins that will allow them to enable or disable user access to AppSheet. The company said that starting December 14, 2020, Workplace admins will see a new control for AppSheet in the Additional Google services section of the Admin console. This new feature will come to AppSheet for all Workspace customers and will give them the ability to control user access to AppSheet at the domain, organizational unit, group, or user level.
AppSheet in Google Workspace allows users to build custom applications on top of Workspace applications and other services and applications in their environment. Users can do this all without writing any code. The new admin console setting for AppSheet brings a new ability to control user access. With this, users can enable or disable access to AppSheet by toggling the setting on or off.
Image courtesy: Google Workspace Blog
Note that if your users are already using AppSheet and you turn the additional services off, it’ll disable access for all app creators and users. This, in turn, will stop all applications from running. You can find out who in your organization is using AppSheet by using the Token Audit Log in the Admin console at Reports > Audit Log > Token. Now select “+ Add a filter” and choose “Application name,” and then enter “AppSheet”. It will then show a list of users who have used AppSheet in your organization.
How to use this feature?
Admins can control this setting in the admin console by going to Apps > Additional Google services > Settings for AppSheet. From there, they can enable or disable AppSheet for the entire organization or specific organizational units, groups, or users. However, there is no end-user setting. Speaking of the availability, the setting will follow an extended rollout for both Rapid and Scheduled Release domains starting on December 14, 2020. The feature visibility may take potentially longer than 15 days but will be available to all Google Workspace users.
Sometimes we accidentally delete our files on our Windows laptops but, we get a second chance to recover them, thanks to the Recycle Bin. However, that’s not the case in Chrome OS. If you accidentally delete some file on your Chromebook, you lose it forever. But now, Google has added the much-awaited “Trash” folder to Files, the built-in file management app in Chromebooks. According to a report by ChromeStory, the feature is currently available in the Canary channel.
The tech giant was working to bring this trash folder to the Chrome OS for quite some time and came to the news a few months ago. It will allow users to give a chance to restore deleted files, just like the recycle bin in Windows OS.
Trash Folder in Files is Like Recycle Bin
Image courtesy: ChromeStory
The long-awaited feature for Chrome OS is now finally out in the Canary channel, for which a flag appeared a few weeks ago. Though it took some time, but the trash folder is finally here. It shows up within the My files directory, below Downloads and Play files. You can see how it looks like in the image above.
So now, when you delete some file in your Chromebook accidentally, it’ll automatically move to the Trash folder. From there, you can restore the deleted item, the feature that Google may hopefully add before the launch. It will work similar to the recycle bin. Note that the Trash folder is currently available in the Canary channel, and it may take a while to reach the stable channel.
All your electronic devices are paired with the internet to get things done. Although the internet opens access to the worldwide web, it also creates holes for data breaches, leaks, espionage, and whatnot. Connecting to the internet reveals your IP address that makes your system vulnerable to hacking or other unwanted ill-fated atrocities. Adding a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when connecting to the internet masks the IP address thus, providing a much-need security benefit.
Thus, a VPN is crucial in today’s time when anything and everything can be done on a smartphone or computer both bad and good. There are hundreds of VPN providers available at your disposal but selecting one is a task. That’s why we decided to do all the hard work and curate a list of the 6 Best VPNs for Multiple Devices you can trust.
Why Would You Need a VPN Connection?
There are plenty of reasons why having a VPN connection is justified. First up, it masks your IP address which is sort of your virtual identity. You can unlock content that has been geoblocked. For instance, a particular show on Netflix is now available in the U.S. but with a VPN, you can access it. Moreover, you can secure against any types of internet threats like hacking, surveillance, data leak or the breach, espionage, malware, and so on.
Why Would You Need a VPN Connection for Multiple Devices?
In this internet era, having a single device at any house or office that connects to the internet seems unfeasible. Getting a VPN connection for a single device would mean although you can use a VPN on your phone/computer, other internet devices remain vulnerable to internet threats. Getting a VPN connection for multiple devices allows users to enjoy the benefits of VPN on all the paired devices simultaneously but at a premium.
A VPN also ensures all the data sent and received on your device is encrypted. It prevents Man in the Middle attack as well. Once you get a VPN for multiple devices, you won’t have to manually log out from one device to another such as in the case of a single VPN. Moreover, it is much cheaper to get a VPN for multiple devices rather than purchasing a separate VPN for each device.
6 Best VPNs for Multiple Devices
1. NordVPN
Image via NordVPN (Google Play Store)
There’s no denying that NordVPN is the most top-rated VPN in most cases. It ensures blazing fast speeds allowing up to 6 devices simultaneously on a single account. With more than 5,520+ servers worldwide, you can virtually connect to any server you want without any hassle. NordVPN uses 256-but AES military-grade encryption that ensures users are secured and protected against the various internet threats like Man in the Middle (MiM).
NordVPN is compatible with Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux, routers, and browsers. It has a zero-logging policy along with an automatic kill switch on the go. You are assigned a dedicated IP address that masks your static IP address to ward off prying eyes.
Pros:
6 simultaneous connections on one account
Global coverage of more than 5,520 servers
Assigned a dedicated IP address and masks static IP
24/7 live chat
Cons:
Slow app and server connections
OpenVPN configuration on NordVPN is not user-friendly
Connects to servers with city locations and not specific servers
Image via Private Internet Access (Google Play Store)
With a base of more than 19,538 servers, Private Internet Access is manifold larger than NordVPN. It brings along access to ten connections simultaneously on a single account. With its AES-256 military-grade encryption, it ensures no personal and sensitive information gets out. You can access content from various countries as there’s no geoblock here.
Private Internet Access has a no-logs policy along with its support to torrents. The app automatically disconnects if the VPN fails to load to ensure no data is leaked. You also get 24/7 live chat, step-by-step instructions on setting it up on various devices. The cherry on the cake is its 30-days money-back guarantee.
SurfShark is a pretty buffed up VPN provider with a tonne of features on-board. It has a Camouflage Mode that enables users to access VPN in a VPN-restricted country. The NoBorders Mode lets you access the internet in a heavily-guarded region such as China. Surfshark has been providing stellar VPN coverage with more than 3,000 servers in 60+ countries.
What shines about SurfShark is its ability to connect an unlimited number of users simultaneously without any cap. No matter if you are using it at your home or office, SurfShark ensures you speedy internet access with VPN engaged. It has a MultiHop feature which is also known as Double VPN which creates a double layer of VPN encryption on the go.
Another well-known VPN provider, ExpressVPN lets you pair up to 5 simultaneous connections with ease. ExpressVPN has a server base of more than 3,000 servers across 94+ countries. This ensures that no matter how closely guarded your country is with geo-blocks and restrictions, you can get through it. Plus, it supports the highest-grade encryption i.e. 256-bit AES. It also has an OpenVPN protocol that grabs the best protocol to encrypt data.
ExpressVPN has a strict no-logs policy and an automatic kill switch in case of any unwanted circumstances. The Smart Location feature tracks your location and connects you to the server by distance ensuring reliable connection & speedy internet access.
Pros:
Split tunneling for faster internet
Military-grade 256-bit AES encryption
Automatic kill switch
5 simultaneous connections & 3K+ servers available
CyberGhost ticks off many must-haves when choosing a VPN provider. It includes a robust network or servers, split tunneling, a strong privacy policy, and more. CyberGhost is a cross-platform VPN provider just like other VPNs here with a coverage of 6,420 servers. There’s a no-logs policy that ensures nothing is stored in logs no matter what. It has a powerful and user-friendly interface that requires no formal training. Even if that’s the case, you get a bunch of comprehensive how-to guides on CyberGhost.
A 256-bit AES encryption keeps personal and sensitive data secure. Its automatic kill switch offers a guard against potential DNS leaks and more. It has a robust set of premium features that you would need to safeguard when using VPN.
Pros:
7 simultaneous connections
Automatic kill switch & no-logs policy
MultiHop and split tunneling
More than 6,420 servers spread across 89 countries
Unlike other VPN services here, the IPVanish VPN allows connecting unlimited devices simultaneously on a single account. Turn your WiFi router into VPN with DD-WR router installation. The VPN provider has a footprint of more than 1,300+ servers spread across 75+ countries. You can bypass every geo-blocked website along with content that was earlier unavailable to you.
Get the unlimited speed and bandwidth with IPVanish VPN with no restrictions over torrenting, streaming, downloading, or practically anything you wish to do. The 256-bit AES encryption makes it impossible for intruders to pry on your data. There’s more with IPVanish VPN that you will enjoy including setting up VPN on multiple devices.
There are multiple ways you can Set Up a VPN on Multiple Devices.
Method 01: Selecting a VPN provider that offers many simultaneous connections
This is the most straightforward method you can employ to set up a VPN on multiple devices. Read the above list properly and you would notice that each listicle has at least 5 simultaneous connections. This means you can access VPN on five devices at a time using the same VPN account. If you have ExpressVPN with five simultaneous connections, simply download the app/client and log in using the same credentials and turn on VPN.
Method 02: VPN Connections Using VPN Router
This is another method although it requires a little work. Here, you need to purchase a VPN from any VPN provider. Once you have it, use your Router’s settings to set up a VPN on your router. Use the same credentials and the server address that you’ll find on your VPN Provider’s website/app. Once you set it up, enjoy VPN on countless devices connected to your router without manually setting it up on individual devices.
How to Connect unlimited devices to a VPN with a Wi-Fi router?
Instead of logging into your VPN provider every time you need a VPN on your device, you can set it up with the Wi-Fi router. This eradicates the need to sign in every time. As it is installed on the Wi-Fi router itself, you wouldn’t need to configure it on any new and existing device either. Here’s a simple way to do it.
Part 1: Configuring on VPN Provider’s website
Step 01: First up, you need to login to your VPN Provider’s website.
Step 02: Go to the various servers your provider offers to find the one that suits your requirement. It could be a U.S. server for content in the U.S. geo-blocked in the U.K.
Step 03: Copy the server address and keep it handy.
Part 2: Configuring to setup VPN with a Wifi router
Type in the URL to login to your Wi-Fi router’s settings or type the IP address. Router Companies will have different URLs and IP addresses and the layout and number of options, features may change as well.
For Example, TP-Link has an IP address: 192.168.0.1 or Netgear has 192.168.1.1, and so on.
On the left navigation pane (may change), you need to navigate and click on “VPN”.
Depending upon which router you are using and the ISP, select VPN network type “PPTP”, “PPTP/L2TP Client”. [Check with your ISP for Client type]
The next window should give you information on the Server IP address, user name, and password (from your VPN provider). Feed this information and tap on ‘Connect’.
Note: You’ll need to enter the VPN server address that you picked up from VPN Provider’s website as mentioned in Part 1 Step 2.
Note that these steps might change based on which router you are using. Some might have a VPN option in plain sight while some will require you to change IP Server and DHCP settings to get VPN onboard. If your WiFi router doesn’t support VPN, you would need to download and install DD-WRT and Tomato and have OpenVPN files handy in case required. You’ll have to install these additional files before repeating the procedure mentioned in Part 1 and Part 2.
Google has unveiled a new microsite called Google Shopping Gift Guide that lets users find perfect (specifically, trending and most-searched-for) gifts for their loved ones. The company has created a guide that lists 2020’s top 100 trending presents and lets you compare prices and find local buying options. You can find trending gift choices for all types of people on your list.
The newly-launched Shopping gift guide comprises seven animated archetypes or product areas that users can go into when they first launch the website. These seven archetypes include the chef, the athlete, the techie, the decorator, the wellness guru, the gamer, and the kids. You can expand these sections and see a list of trending products linked to the respective category.
Google Shopping Gift Guide Features and Shopping Trends
Image courtesy: Google Blog
“We’ve identified trending product categories over the past few months, and translated them into gift lists for the people in your life,” said Google in a blog post. Using the Search trends, Google has created a gift guide featuring top 100 products. When you open the guide, you’ll find seven beautifully animated product sections with additional text that gives insights into what people have shown interest in this year. Once you click a particular product area, say “the techies,” for instance, you’ll see top trending products, including the Apple Watch Series 6, iPhone 12, Pixel 5, and Asus GeForce RTX 3080.
Apart from the product listing, the Google Shopping Gift Guide includes various features like price tracking with alerts, store hours, and even the option for in-store or curbside pickup. Note that a lot of these features are already available on Google Shopping, but in this guide, Google brings all of them together into one site while adding the ability to browse various categories. Also, the trend graphs provided in the new gift guide provide Google an edge over its shopping rival, Amazon.
Note that the gift guide takes only US trends into account, and the search trends may vary from country to country. However, users can access the gift guide from anywhere in the world. If you’re interested and want to try out this gift guide, you can check it out here.
Google is reportedly working on a new feature called “Web Feed” for Chrome that will help you to keep up with and consume web content. This feature is quite similar to the “Discover” feed on most Android smartphones. According to a report by ChromeStory, there’s an upcoming experimental flag on the Chromium Gerrit website that confirms the upcoming Web Feed feature. However, there is not much detail about this feature as the related bug on the website is marked private at the moment.
Web Feed Feature Details
Image courtesy: ChromeStory
The flag name and the description of the upcoming web feed feature reveal some information, which says, “Web Feed: Allows users to keep up with and consume web content.” The report says that the feature looks a lot like the Discover feed that users find on their Android phones. Note that the Discover feed is also available on Chrome’s new tab page on Android. Here’s what the Web Feed feature will do and look like.
Currently, AndroidFist does not have much information on the upcoming Web Feed feature, but it is expected that it’ll be the same as Discover feed for the web. As of now, Discover is an Android and Chrome feature. If Google makes it a part of Chromium, users will eventually see this working on other Chromium-based browsers. These include Opera and Edge as well. With Chrome Web Feed, the tech giant seems to be pushing stories for the open web. It wants a place where users can find and consume web content across browsers.
Note that these are not the official details about the upcoming feature but just our speculations. We may have to wait till the company releases further details.
South Korean tech giant, Samsunghas rolled out a new update for its voice assistant Bixby. The new update brings a new overhaul design and some new cool features.
Bixby was launched back in 2017 and tried its best to give tough competition to other voice assistants such as Google Assistant, Siri, and even Cortana back in the days. However, Bixby was unable to become a people pleaser as it lacked many AI features and functionality.
Samsung has finally moved from the Bixby’s old blue design to the Smartphone’s display mode-light or dark. The new UI also compensates with Samsung’s One UI making it a bit easier to use. Also, the easy vertical and horizontal scrolling put things within the reach just like One UI.
GIF Courtesy: Samsung
Bixby now also provides more content at a glance. The voice assistants got rid of swipe through menus and cards to provide what you need to see at a glance. It tracks the usage of the device to provide recommendations, trending commands, and the Marketplace.
Users who make use of Bixby know how it covers the entire screen when summoned with a voice command when using any app. But now things have changed for good. Bixby instead of taking the entire screen makes use of a lower third portion of the screen which is now very less interruptive. The voice indicator also grows as you speak.
Moreover, Bixby has also made its way to the Samsung DeX. Samsung DeX is a feature in Samsung smartphones that allows the user to make use of their smartphone in PC like experience. DeX itself means “Desktop eXperience”.
Back in June this year, Google updated the user interface for comments and action items in its productivity apps. The company then made these updates available on Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps on Android only. But now, the tech giant is rolling out the new comments UI for more users by releasing the update for the iOS apps and the Drive Android app as well. With this, users will notice three major changes to the comments UI in Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides iOS apps and Drive app on Android. Here’s what Google is bringing with these updates for users and what changes would users see on their apps.
New UI Changes, Features, and Availability
Image courtesy: Google Workspace Blog
The new updates to the iOS apps of Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Google Drive Drive for Android bring three changes, including a larger and clearer interface. This is intended to make it easier for users to see comments and their context in a document. The second feature includes shortcuts and gestures that will help users quickly scroll through and respond to multiple comments. Further, the company has added a new “quick access” button that users can use to quickly reply, mention someone in comments using “@”, and assign action items.
Google is rolling out the updates to the Docs, Slides, and Sheets apps on iOS and the Drive app on Android. For the Drive iOS app, the company will release these updates in the future. All of these features are available on the latest version of the Docs, Sheets, and Slides iOS apps and the Drive Android app.
These updates are available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus customers. Users with G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers will also receive these changes.
Google has announced that users can now adjust text size, color, font, spacing, and more in Google Sites while typing in a text box. The company says it’ll expand control over how individual sections, words, paragraphs, and pages look on Google Sites. With this addition, Google users will be able to make their site look and feel the way they want.
Apart from this, the tech giant is planning to add the ability to create themes that will allow users to easily set fonts, colors, and styles across their site. Google said that it would bring this update in 2020 and announce the same when available.
Release Date and Availability
Image courtesy: Google Workspace Blog
Google is releasing this update through a gradual rollout for Rapid Release domains starting on December 1, 2020. It may take up to 15 days for feature visibility. For Scheduled Release domains, there will also be a gradual rollout starting on January 5, 2021, and the feature may take up to 15 days to be visible for all users. Note that there is no admin control for this feature, but it will be available to end-users automatically.
Image courtesy: Google Workspace Blog
This new feature will be available to Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, and Enterprise Plus customers. Other users who have G Suite Basic, Business, Education, Enterprise for Education, and Nonprofits customers will also get this feature.
